GEOGRAPHY 140A
Physical Landscapes:
Process and Form
U.C. Berkeley, Spring 2017
Professor Kurt M. Cuffey
[email protected]
Geography 140A
Introductory Material, Page 1
GEOGRAPHY 140A (4 credits)
Instructor: Professor Kurt Cuffey, Department of Geography
Office: 525 McCone Hall
phone: n/a
email: [email protected]
Class Lectures: MW 2:10-3:30 in 145 McCone
Regular Office Hours:
Mondays 3:30-5 in 525 McCone, excepting weeks of faculty meetings.
Also by appointment if necessary.
Required Materials:
1. Parts of text: Global Geomorphology, M. Summerfield
2. Map: Landforms of the United States, E. Raisz
3. Outline of class notes
Many optional additional readings are available in the Earth Sciences Library in the
basement of McCone Hall. For example:
Two informative books about geomorphological processes:
1. Ritter, Kochel and Miller: Process Geomorphology (3rd ed.)
2. Anderson and Anderson: Geomorphology: The Mechanics and Chemistry
of Landscapes
Two books about tectonics:
1. Kearey, Klepeis, and Vine: Global Tectonics (3rd ed).
2. Condie: Plate Tectonics and Crustal Evolution (4th ed)
Google is also very useful. So too a world atlas (the Earth Sci. library has good ones).
Use these resources proactively!
Geography 140A
Introductory Material, Page 2
What is GEOGRAPHY 140A?
Physical Landscapes: Process and Form
This course concerns: the physical surface of the earth: its form, the processes
that shape it, and its capacity for change.
The discipline is casually called "Geomorphology," due to historical inertia.
“Earth Surface Processes and Landforms” is another common descriptor.
Why you should be here and alert:
1. The earth's surface is our home. It is in our interest to be good tenants.
 need to understand pathways for, and possible consequences of,
change; need to understand natural disasters; sustainability
2. Geography as the science of interactions:
 geomorphology is an important facet of the people/environment interface
 inextricable links to biology and climate
3. Geography as sense of place, and a dimension analogous to historical time.
 physical landscapes are unique and often beautiful, and people have to
adapt to them. Can you separate Switzerland from the Alps or New
Orleans from the bayous, river and delta?
 You tour around a landscape (whether by air or ground). You see
things. Why do you see what you see?
What constitutes explanation?
Although describing and cataloguing are important (and we will do some of this)
we need to go way beyond these and ask "why? ".
 Seek explanation in root causes.
* Requires information from a host of disciplines
(geology/chemistry/physics/biology), all of which are building blocks for
physical geography.
Geography 140A
Introductory Material, Page 3
Geomorphology is a cross-roads.
Geomorphology sits within and between four disciplines in particular:
Geology
Geophysics
Civil Engineering (Hydrology)
Geography
Geomorphology also taught at Berkeley in the Earth and Planetary Science Department
(Prof. Dietrich). Both rely deeply on an understanding of process: this is at the core of
answering the "why" questions, and questions of evolution over time (e.g., response to
human activities, or climate change). The EPS course is much more about the actual
practice of geomorphology. The geography course is a conceptual overview.
Also overlap with courses about water: esp. Prof. Larsen (Geography)
What will we cover?
Geog 140A
1. brief overview: the geomorphological machine
2. a quick look at essential ingredients
3. global tectonics and relation to landscapes: making relief
A. Why there is plate tectonics and isostasy
B. Plate boundary landscapes
C. Plate interior landscapes
D. Volcanism
4. river-hillslope systems: attacking and propagating relief
A. river systems as conveyors of water
• drainage networks
• discharge hydrographs
• channel hydraulics
B. hillslopes
• weathering and soils
• transport vs. production limitation
• hillslope transport processes
C. river systems as conveyors of sediment
• transport processes
• magnitude-frequency concepts
• mass conservation consequences
• channel types
• longitudinal profiles and terraces
Geog 140B
Coasts, deserts, karst, glacial and periglacial landscapes, and Physiography
+ field trip!
Geography 140A
Introductory Material, Page 4
GEOGRAPHY 140A Grading
The standard scale will be used as a minimum:
99-100 A+, 94-98 A, 90-93 A87-89 B+, 84-86 B, 80-83 B77-79 C+, 74-76 C, 70-73 C67-69 D+, 64-66 D, 60-63 D< 60 F
I will curve scores if I think it fair. A curve can only help your grade: I will not
bring grades below the standard scale.
TO EARN YOUR GRADE:
(1) First “graded exercise”
(Handed out in class on Wednesday, FEB. 15, TAKE-HOME:
Due at start of class on Wednesday, FEB. 22) 20%
(2) Mid-term exam (Wednesday March 15, IN-CLASS) 35%
(3) Cumulative Final Exam in final exam period 45%
Exams are good. They are your chance to really learn the material. 
On exams you are responsible only for material covered in lectures, except as
specially noted. Other resources are to provide a more complete and
terminology-ridden presentation, for those interested.
Geography 140A
Introductory Material, Page 5